STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING OF A FULL-SCALE MASONRY BUILDING PROTOTYPE USING SMART BRICKS

Smart bricks are innovative clay-based strain sensors for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of masonry constructions. Their shape and size resemble that of conventional bricks, yet internally the clay matrix is suitably modified through the addition of a metallic filler to boost their piezoresistive response. Smart bricks are therefore capable of outputting measurable changes in their electrical resistance when mechanically strained under compression. An electromechanical model is adopted to convert the electrical outputs from each sensor into strain measurements. Smart bricks can be placed at strategic positions within the load-bearing structure of a masonry construction to monitor changes in strain due to damage initiation and propagation. They can be internally deployed within walls, arches, and pillars by forming both dense and coarse sensor networks, thus enabling different SHM strategies. Their use covers the monitoring of the most common structural pathologies affecting masonry constructions, including damages caused by differential settlements, material aging, excessive loading, and earthquakes. The paper presents an experimental campaign in which smart bricks are used to monitor strain within a full-scale masonry building prototype. The specimen is subjected to controlled damage of increasing intensity under real environmental conditions. Preliminary results obtained by testing the structure are presented and discussed to demonstrate the effectiveness of smart bricks in measuring strain in such a realistic structural setting.